Every week brings news of yet another ‘technological innovation’ set to make our driving, vehicles and roads safer. Undoubtedly this has to be a good thing, although it seems we are missing the point somewhat. A sat nav which alerts drivers to level crossings or in-car technology which scans the road ahead for danger is all very well, but it’s important not to forget the basic driving skills and knowledge which we learned to obtain a driving licence in the first place!

A recent survey commissioned by GEM Motoring Assist found that only 76 percent of UK motorists are confident they would pass the practical element of the driving test if they took it again, and even more worryingly, only 35 percent are still familiar with the Highway Code.

Of course those statistics are unproven. None of the 76 percent have actually attempted to repeat their driving test and you have to wonder what their pass rate would be. Would they all remember the various checks when reversing around a corner or the correct distance to maintain between their vehicle and the car in front?

The Government has now revealed plans to punish careless and inconsiderate drivers with fixed-penalty fines, but more than half of motorists who have been convicted of careless driving didn’t realise they were doing anything wrong!

Knowledge and basic understanding of roadcraft appears to be taking a back seat, perhaps one of the reasons for this year’s uncharacteristic road deaths rise? Maybe we are becoming too reliant on parking sensors, automatic lights, SatNav alerts and in-car warning systems. It would certainly be interesting to leave the technology in the garage, dust off the map book and pick up a Highway Code once in a while!